Stances



G. B. HOPKINS & W. B. SHED DI QMAGHINE FOR PREPARING FIBERSFROM SISAL GRASS 0E LIKE SUBSTANCES No. 110,237. Patented Dec. 20,1870.

forming part 0 this specification.

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- GEORGE EaHOPKINS AND WILLIAM B. SHEDD, OF BOSTON.

MASSAGHU SETTS.

Letters Patent No. '11o,237,a ea December 20,1870.

numbvsuisur m MACHINES FOR PREPARING FIBERS FROM sllsAL-cnAss AND LIKE sus- STANCES.

-Teall dflwin it may concern! V Be it knownthat. we, GEORGE E. Hornms and 'WILLIAM B. SHEDD, of Boston, in thecounty of Suffolk and State 'of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Sisal-grass Machine;

and we do hereby'declare that the following is a fully clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the. same, reference bein had to the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of our improved machine, taken through the line a: w, fig. 2. Figure 2 isa top yiew of the'same. Figure 3 is a vertical cross-section of the same, taken through the line y- 'y, fig. 2. l

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts. I 1

Our invention has for its object to-fnrnish a simple,

convenient, and effective machine for crushing, scraping, and cleaning the leaves or stalks of the agave Amert'omw orAmerican aloe, better. known as sisal-' grass or sisal-hemp, and for cleaning the rack or China grass, audother fibrous leaves, and which shallbcso constructed as to clean the fiber perfectly and lay it straight ready for baling; and

It consists in the construction and combination of the various parts of the machine, as hereinafter more fully described.

' A is the frame of the machine, to which, near its rear end, are pivoted two grooved or fluted rollers B,

placed the one directly above the-other, and geared .to each other by gear-wheels O.

To one of the journals of the grooved rollers B is attached a gear-wheel, D, the teeth of which mesh into the teeth of the gear-wheel .19, attached to-the shaft F, which works in bearings attached'to the frame A, and .with which the driving power may be connected in the ordinary manner.

The teeth of the gear-wheel, E mesh into the teeth of the gear-wheel G, attached to the journal of one of the rubber rollers H, which are placed one above the other, and are geared to each other by'the gearof the gear-wheel J, attached to the journal of the cylindrical brush K, which is placed a little distance from the rubber rollers H, and the brush of which is made of wire or other suitable material. I

' M is the. stationary scrapes, which is securely attached to the frame A, and which consists of one or more scrapers 1n, made of steel, iron, wood, or-other suitable material, one or more rubber plates or scrap-' ers in, and one or more brushes m, made of wire or other suitable material. e

N n n h. is the movable scraper, made exactly: like the scraper M,cxcept that it is movable, and

works up and down in the frame a, attached to the frame A, as it is ,moved by the levr'L, whichis pivoted to the frame of the scraper N, which arm passes up througha slot in the. cross-bar of the frame a;

One end of the lever L is pivoted to the cross-ba.r of the frameaf, and-its other end extends out into such a'position that it may beconveniently reached and operated by the attendant, to raise and lower the scraper N, as required. I O is a trouglnplacd beneath the crushing-rollers B, to receive the saccharine matter expressed by the rollers.while'crushing the leaves.

"P is a .stationarj"a1)ron, attached to the frameA in the rear of the rollers 13, and from which the leaves or stalks are fed to said rollers.

As the crushed leaves and stalks pass from the rollers B they pass along the apron Q, attached tothe frame A, and extending from the rollers B to the scrapers M N, and pass over: the stationary scraper M, the movable scraper N being raised, and are grasped by the rubber rollers H. As soon as the .endsof the fibers are grasped by the rollers H the niovable scrapcr N is lowered, so that the fiber will be scraped and cleaned as it is beingd'rawn by therubber rollers H between thescrapers M N.

As the end parts of the fibers; which were not acted upon by the scrapers M N, pass out from the rollers H, they are cleaned by the revolving brush -K.- a 7 From the rollers H and revolving brush K the cleaned fibers pass to the endless apron It, by which they arecarried to the front of the machine.

The apron R passes around rollers S, pivoted to. the frame A, and driven by the bandT, which passes around a pulley, U, attached to one of said rollers S, and around a-pnlley, V, attached to the journal of one of the rubber rollers H. t v

- The upper part of the endless apron It passes around guide-rods or rollers 7, attached to the frame A, to .form recesses in the said upper part of said apron, to, receive the cross-bars of the rack or frame X, the .side bars of which extend along the side bars of the frame A so that the fibers may pass over the flame X as they are carried forwardby the endless apron R.

"The outer or forward end of the frame X is attached to a shaft, Y, that revolves-in hearings in the.

forward ends of the side bars of the frame A, and to its outer end is attached a ratchet-wheel, Z, and a pulley, A. f p

B is a band,-'wliioh passes around the pulley A, and around a pulley, 0', attached to the end of the journal of the revolving brush K.

To the band B is attached a pawl, I), which, at each revolution of the band B, takes hold of the ratchet-wheel Z, and partially revolves the shaft Y, which carries the frame X with it, depositing the cleaned fibers upon the floor in a straight heap ready for haling When the ratchet-wheel Z is released by the pawl.

D, the shaft Y is revolved back, bringing the frame X to its former posit-ion upon the endless apron R, by the spring E, coiled around the shaft Y, and connected with the said shaft and with the frame A.

Having thus described our invention,

We claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent--% 1. The movable scraper N and stationary scraper M, constructed and operating in connection with each other, substantially as herein shown and described, to clean the fibers as thecrushe'd leaves or stalks are drawn between them.

2. The combination of the crushing-rollers B, scrap- 7 ers M'N, rubber rollers H, and revolving brush K, with each other and with the frame A, substantially as herein sbowu and described, and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination of the endless apron R with Witnesses:

' O. A. Noncnu,

H. I. WILBUR. 

